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Kia Sportage Si petrol road test review

​Sales of SUVs are booming and the competition between car makers is getting more intense.

So brands are looking for new ways to stand out from the crowd and attract buyers. In the case of the new Kia Sportage the South Korean manufacturer has taken a bold new styling direction.

It is a love-it-or-hate-it look with a unique face, high-mounted headlights and heavily sculpted flanks and rear. But it does stand out in a market where it goes head-to-head with the likes of the Mazda CX-5, Toyota RAV4, Honda CR-V, Mitsubishi Outlander and Ford Kuga.

Not to mention the Hyundai Tucson, the SUV with which the Sportage shares the majority of its underpinnings.

What do you get?

Kia Australia has ditched the entry-level manual model, so the starting price rises to $28,990 (plus on-road costs) for the petrol variant and $33,990 for the diesel, but it compensates with a healthy amount of standard equipment.

The next model up the range, the SLi, starts at $33,990 for the petrol and $38,990 for the diesel. Over the entry grade, the SLi gains 18-inch wheels, faux leather and dual-zone climate as well as front parking sensors, LED daytime running lights and tail lamps, rain-sensing wipers, a colour information screen in the instrument cluster and satellite navigation.

The new Sportage range is topped by the Platinum which is priced from $43,490 - and has a 2.4-litre engine rather than the 2.0-litre in the Si/SLi - and tops out at $45,990 for the diesel. The Platinum adds 19-inch alloys, heated and ventilated front seats with the option of two-tone leather trim, a panoramic sunroof, power-operated tailgate, keyless ignition and a class-leading wireless smartphone charging pad in the centre console to the value equation.

All models are covered by Kia's industry-leading seven-year warranty and capped price servicing scheme. Over the first seven years or 105,000km (whichever comes first) the Sportage will cost $2942 to service.

What's inside?

One of the biggest mechanical changes to the new Sportage is a 30mm extension to the wheelbase that helps create more room in the cabin.

Kia claims there is more legroom for both front and rear passengers and that rings true in the real world. There is good space up front, with comfortable and supportive seats. The Sportage has arguably the most accommodating back seats, with more than adequate space in all key dimensions for adults and taller teenagers and plenty of room for children.

Like the exterior, the interior has also been given the new styling treatment. The dashboard is now taller with more horizontal lines as well as a significant angle towards the driver for most of the controls.

The materials are nice, nothing more, with plenty of dark coloured soft-touch plastic throughout the interior.

It is a well laid out cockpit but it misses out on some of the clever touches of other Kia models. For example, there is a good sized space at the bottom of the centre console to store your music player, as it is right next to the USB input, but unlike the Cerato it doesn't have a lid so you can't keep your valuables out of sight.

On the plus side there are two USB chargers and three 12 volt power outlets, with one of each behind the centre console to make it easier for rear passengers to access them.

The boot has also been increased from 465-litres to 503-litres and now features an under-floor storage space.

Under the bonnet

Our test Si model was fitted with the 2.0-litre petrol engine that is tuned to produce 114kW of power and 192Nm of torque.

Those numbers are adequate but you'd hardly call the base-model Sportage sprightly. It needs a few revs to get the best out of it, so it can feel a little sluggish off the mark. But when you're on the move it performs its duties with a minimum of fuss.

The six-speed automatic transmission is pretty good, offering smooth shifts most of the time but also quickly dropping down a few ratios when a burst of acceleration is needed.

The 2.0-litre is only available as a front-wheel drive model, while the rest of the engines are exclusively all-wheel drive.

That's not a deal-breaker given most Sportages will never feel dirt under their wheels. And it does help keep fuel economy down and save on unnecessary weight and complexity.

The official combined fuel economy figure is 7.9-litres per 100km, which isn't too bad but isn't at the top of the class.

On the road

Kia has invested heavily in its local ride and handling program that tailors its cars to Australian road conditions and consumer demands - and it shows.

For this new model both the front and rear suspension have been redesigned before the local program has fine tuned it for our conditions. The results is one of the best performers in the mid-size SUV class.

The ride is excellent; comfortable with a nice balance between compliance and control. The Sportage deals with bumps with minimum impact but at the same time remains responsive and agile for an SUV.

The steering is equally good, well weighted and with good feedback, making the Sportage feel more 'car-like' than many of its direct competitors.

Verdict

The new Sportage has continued Kia's strong run of improved product in recent years. It possesses excellent ride and handling qualities, a spacious and well laid out interior and retains the brand's strong value position.

The new looks won't be to everyone's taste but what lies beneath the surface should appeal to anyone looking for a quality mid-size SUV.